In general, a catheter apparatus is a medical tubular instrument that is used to examine a diseased area by aspirating blood, blood clots, body fluids, or the like from the human body, to inject a medicine into the body, or to expand a strictured lumen.
The catheter apparatus is classified into various types, including a urethral catheter, which is used to discharge urine, to clean the bladder, or to inject a medicine into the bladder; a balloon catheter, which is used in a surgical procedure of expanding cardiac blood vessels; a Hickman catheter, which is inserted into a vein in order to inject a medicine and collect blood; a tracheal catheter, which is used to remove impurities taken into the trachea or throat of a newborn baby, right after the delivery; a dental suction catheter, which is used to take in and discharge a blood fluid or saliva that is produced while a dental operation is underway; etc.
In the meantime, a surgical procedure using a flexible catheter apparatus made of a synthetic resin, selected from among the various types of catheter apparatus described above, involves inserting a catheter having a predetermined length into the human body, removing blood, blood clots, or body fluids from the human body by aspirating it, fixing the catheter to the operated area, and finishing the operation.
Here, if a small amount of blood that has bled remains in the cranium or abdominal cavity, it is possible to dissolve it by injecting a medicine, such as urokinase, using the catheter.
In the catheter apparatus of the related art, the catheter is fixed to the operated area. Thus, in the state in which the catheter is inserted into the body, if the aspiration passage of the catheter is clogged or the aspiration area of the catheter is required to be repositioned, a reoperation, which involves removing the existing catheter from the operated area and placing a new catheter in the operated area, is required.
The reoperation of reinstalling the catheter disadvantageously requires anesthesia, sterilization, and disinfection processes and prolongs the recovery period of the patient, thereby increasing the physical and emotional distress of the patient.